When Funko and Lucasfilm chose to create a new Padmé Amidala Pop! bobblehead figure, only one question remained: which version of the fashionable queen-turned-senator? And as any prequel fan will tell you, it’s not an easy decision.
“Padmé has some of the most iconic outfits in the Star Wars franchise, so it was challenging to choose just one of her many memorable looks,” Meg Dunn, designer at Funko, tells StarWars.com. “I’ve always found her dual roles as Queen Amidala and later senator of Naboo to be really fascinating, and we wanted to find a way to represent both sides of her character -- her poise and beauty as a queen, and her strength and courage as a leader.” That thought process finally led to an answer, one inspired by what is perhaps Padmé’s defining moment. You can get a first look at the Pop! below.
“That’s why we chose this outfit from Revenge of the Sith,” Dunn continues. “It's from the scene where Supreme Chancellor Palpatine declares the dawn of the Galactic Empire, and Padmé utters that iconic line: ‘So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause.’ It’s a very powerful moment in the film.”
Even better, this new Padmé Pop! will launch the Amazon-exclusive “Power of the Galaxy” line, celebrating the women of Star Wars. Padmé is available for pre-order now and arrives late July, with one new bobblehead coming every month through the end of the year. While the rest of “Power of the Galaxy” series will span the saga, Dunn feels that leading with Padmé shows the power of the prequels.
“My dad took me to see The Phantom Menace on opening night, and ever since I’ve had a special connection with the prequels,” she says. “The popularity of the prequels is something that everyone at Funko has noticed as well. We always try to keep the fans in mind when working on a project, and seeing the fandom’s love for the trilogy definitely informed how we approached this Padmé figure. We’ve done a couple different Padmés in the past, so it was fun to revisit the character and utilize some of the new techniques we’ve developed over the years to bring her to life.”
The figure includes great detail for such a small scale, from a sense of Padmé’s character to the intricacies of her brooches. “Our sculptor, Claire Cordeiro, did a wonderful job capturing Padmé’s personality. We worked together to get everything just right, from the way her hair wraps around her headpiece, to the way her gown flows and folds, even down to the way her hands are positioned,” Dunn says. “The level of detail Claire was able to achieve is so impressive.”
A Funko veteran, Dunn feels great pride in “Power of the Galaxy.”
“The ‘Power of the Galaxy’ line began as a collaboration between Lucasfilm and Funko to recognize the amazing women of the Star Wars universe. It's an opportunity to celebrate the empowering characters that are a source of inspiration for so many fans out there,” she says. “It’s been such an honor to contribute to this project as the designer and to work alongside the many talented artists on Funko’s Star Wars team.”
